Volunteer Medics Will Fly This One-of-a-Kind Electric Aircraft

‘Proof-of-concept’ program will put paramedics in the seat of Pivotal’s ultralight electric aircraft.

Jack Daleo

Saturday, March 07, 2026 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Zach Vasile

Hyde County Emergency Services in North Carolina will evaluate Pivotal’s ultralight electric aircraft for a variety of applications. [Credit: Pivotal]

Key Takeaways:

Hyde County, North Carolina, is launching a "proof-of-concept" program to integrate ultralight eVTOL aircraft into its emergency services operations.
The core objective is to significantly reduce response times for critical care, law enforcement, fire, and search and rescue by rapidly transporting first responders to incident scenes.
Manufactured by Pivotal, these eVTOLs are designed for versatile deployment, capable of landing on various terrains without specialized infrastructure, and require only in-house training for operators.

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Volunteer paramedics in North Carolina will soon take part in a “proof-of-concept” program that will put them in the seat of an ultralight, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Hyde County Emergency Services in North Carolina will fly the aircraft manufactured by Palo Alto-based Pivotal, which said Friday that the project aims to accelerate emergency response times for “critical care calls.” The aircraft—which lifts off vertically like a helicopter but cruises on fixed tandem wings—will soar over traffic and terrain, the idea being for it to escort first responders to the scene before an ambulance arrives.